Frontenac's Leaf Season Really Ends at the Fourth Pass, Not the Final One

Frontenac's 2026 curbside leaf vacuum schedule set the first run for October 27 and 28. Each quadrant has four more passes on the city's schedule, and the last ones are set for December 16 and 17. Those mid-December dates look like the finish line, but they aren't. The same schedule asks that "the bulk of leaves be put out prior to the fourth pass," because winter weather could cancel the final pass. So if your yard is still covered in leaves on December 12, you could end up bagging them yourself.

That one sentence on the City of Frontenac's 2026 leaf schedule moves your working deadline up by about a week. The timing rules on the same sheet shorten it further. Below are your quadrant's dates and the rules that decide whether your pile actually gets picked up.

Your quadrant comes down to two roads

The city runs the program through Hendel Lawncare, Inc. and splits town into four quadrants. Clayton Road divides north from south. On the north side, Spoede Road divides west from east. On the south side, Geyer Road does that job.

The first pass was scheduled for October 27 and 28 in every quadrant. Here's what's left after it:

Quadrant 4's second pass falls on a Saturday. It's the only weekend date on the whole schedule, so a south-of-Clayton, east-of-Geyer household counting on a Friday evening rake has until 8 a.m. that morning.

The date on the schedule is a start date, and 8 a.m. is the cutoff

The dates in the table are when each pass begins, not when the truck gets to your street. The city says piles must be out by 8:00 a.m. on the scheduled start date. It also says a section may be finished in one day or take up to seven days per pass.

Put those two rules together and the risk becomes clear. You can't plan around the truck's route, so the start date is the only safe target. The schedule spells out what happens if you miss it: piles set out after the vacuum has passed your side of the street won't be picked up until the next scheduled date. The rule goes by side of the street. If the crew has worked the opposite curb but not yours, a late pile may still get picked up. If they've already done your side, it waits for the next pass.

In practice, every pass works like an 8 a.m. deadline, followed by a window of up to a week when raking more onto your existing pile is a gamble.

Why December 8 through 11 is the real finish line

The fourth passes run from Tuesday, December 8, in Quadrant 1 to Friday, December 11, in Quadrant 4. Those are the last dates the city's schedule treats as dependable. The leaf sheet says the bulk of leaves should be out before the fourth pass, "taking into consideration the potential cancellation of the final pass due to winter weather conditions." It adds that all dates can change or run longer because of weather.

The calendar is tight at the end. In Quadrant 1, the fourth and final passes start eight days apart. In Quadrants 2 and 3, they start a week apart. In Quadrant 4, they start six days apart, December 11 and December 17. Since one pass can take up to seven days, a slow fourth pass in Quadrant 4 could still be running when the final pass is due to start. Treat the final pass as cleanup for the last leaves off your trees, not as the main event.

The city's Fall Leaf Collection page links to the same schedule. If weather moves a date, check there first.

What gets your pile skipped

Getting the timing right only helps if the truck can actually collect the pile. Here's what the schedule tells you to avoid:

1. Piles in the street or on the sidewalk. The city cites fire and life safety and says leaves belong on your lawn, near the street.
2. Piles more than 10 feet back. The equipment only reaches 10 feet into a yard, so keep piles long and narrow along the front of the property.
3. Piles tucked under bushes, trees or mailboxes. Leaves should sit in open areas the equipment can reach.
4. Piles with hard debris mixed in. Rocks, bricks, glass and branches can damage the equipment and hurt a crew member, and the crew will pass by a pile that has them.
5. Piles blocked by parked cars. These won't be picked up.

Access isn't the only reason to move the car. Vacuuming kicks up dust and some leaf debris, and the city says it can't be responsible for dust on vehicles or other personal property. A car parked away from the curb on your start date avoids both problems.

The city also asks residents not to let children play in leaf piles. It also asks that branches hanging over the street be trimmed to at least 12 feet so fire department vehicles can get through.

Thanksgiving week stacks the third pass

All four third passes fall in Thanksgiving week. Quadrants 1 and 2 start Monday, November 23. Quadrant 3 follows on Tuesday, November 24, and Quadrant 4 on Wednesday, November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. If you're hosting, the Sunday before is your last good raking day for the north side. For Quadrant 4, it's the Tuesday evening before.

Your weekly yard waste pickup works on a separate calendar. Gateway Disposal collects loose yard waste at the curb on Mondays, before 7:00 a.m. Under the city's holiday pick-up rules, there's no collection on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, and service days after a holiday roll forward by one day. This year Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, and Christmas on Friday, December 25. Based on the city's example, where a holiday pushes only the days after it in the same week, Monday pickup in those weeks comes before either holiday. Gateway's customer service line is (314) 900-2070, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., if you want to confirm your week.

After December 17, you have three options

If leaves are still coming down after the last scheduled pass, the city lists a paid option. You can arrange a late pickup directly with Hendel Lawncare at (314) 863-1420.

The second option is Monday yard waste, which runs all year. The city's yard waste guidelines call for standard 30-gallon paper yard waste bags or designated cans of 32 gallons or smaller. Yard waste in plastic bags won't be collected, and neither will yard waste with trash mixed in. In December the same Monday pickup also takes holiday trees, at no extra charge through December and January. The tree has to be stripped of all decorations, including tinsel, garland, ornaments and lights, and cut shorter than four feet.

The third option is hauling leaves yourself. St. Louis Composting runs two drop-off sites that take clean vegetative yard waste for a tip fee:

• Valley Park, 39 Old Elam Avenue. Listed hours are Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Maryland Heights, 11294 Schaefer Drive. Listed hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's closed on weekends.

The company's fee page lists loose paper lawn bags at $2 each, and trash cans or plastic lawn bags at $4 each. It calls these volume-based estimates that may vary and adds a 3% card fee. Paper bags cost half as much there, and they're the only bags Gateway will take at the curb, so it makes sense to stock paper either way. Call ahead to confirm hours and fees before loading the car, especially around the holidays.

For a Quadrant 1 household, the season works out like this. Rake hard before November 10, again before November 23, and get nearly everything out by 8 a.m. on December 8. Leave December 16 for whatever falls last. Quadrant 4 runs a few days behind on each pass, with that one Saturday in the middle.

Have questions about life in Frontenac, from city services to the streets on either side of Clayton Road? I've been answering them for more than 30 years, and you can find more on my Frontenac neighborhood page. Call Maureen Q Onder for a local market consult, and let's talk about your goals.